PUTRAJAYA: THE National Higher Education Strategic Plan (PSPTN) will be rebranded as the Malaysian Education Development Plan (Higher Education) 2015-2025 and is expected to be launched at the end of the year.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the move followed the merger of the Education and Higher Education Ministries last year.
Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said the status of the national higher education plan was discussed during a meeting with the new National Education Advisory Council line-up that met for the first time yesterday.
The rebranding will enable PSPTN to undergo a transformation to align its philosophies, programmes and projects to cover all levels in the education sector, from preschool to school-leavers.
In May, Muhyiddin had said the rebranding was crucial, following the merger of the two ministries, as there was a need to ensure that academic programmes at institutions of higher learning were in tandem with the school syllabus.
The higher education sector, he said, should ensure that initiatives or programmes initiated in schools were further developed at the tertiary level.
The Education Ministry yesterday appointed 11 prominent intellectuals and educationists to sit in the council, which will act as its official think tank for the next two years. Chaired by former education director-general Tan Sri Dr Abdul Rahman Arshad, the council will advise the education minister on all matters related to the country’s education system.
Muhyiddin, who presented appointment letters to the council members yesterday, said the council would look into the country’s educational development, from preschool to tertiary education.
The council also comprises Tan Sri Prof Dr Zakri Abdul Hamid, Tan Sri Napsiah Omar, Senator Datuk Dr Asyraf Wadji Dusuki, Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan, Datuk Mohammad Medan Abdullah, Datuk Hassan Harun, Datuk Prof Dr Mohd Harun Abdullah, Datuk Prof Dr Teo Kok Seong, Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria and Datin Ong Gian Siew.
Present were Second Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, and Deputy Ministers P. Kamalanathan and Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching.
In his speech, Muhyiddin lauded the previous council line-up, which was led by Tan Sri Dr Wan Zahid Nordin, for its contributions.
“The past council members advised on education, from preschool to secondary school levels. But now, we have appointed 11 members, which is more than the number in the previous line-up, as they will also advise on matters related to higher education.”
Rahman said there must be a balance in the provision of assistance to schools in urban and rural areas to ensure that the education system continued to excel.
He said creating a balance in education was among the council’s key challenges to elevate the nation’s education system.
“We provide a lot of assistance to cluster schools, but what about schools in rural areas that do not get as much help?
“I am concerned that there will be a wide disparity between schools in developed areas and those in rural areas. We should address this first and only then would our system receive world recognition.”